The way people are searching and using technology is changing. People are turning to their phones and even their cars for searches. In today’s world, every phone and many of the new-model cars are equipped with voice search. People are even buying voice search devices, such as Amazon Echo, for their homes. People want answers, and they want them now. Over the years, we’ve figured out how to stay relevant in online searches. But how do we adapt for voice searches?

Keep It Conversational

Unlike traditional desktop or mobile search, voice searches are more natural in tone. When we think of keyword phrases moving forward, we have to be more conversational. You’ll want to think in terms of how people actually talk. This means your keyword phrases are going to be a lot longer than the average search phrases. A good way to come up with these phrases is to have your dealership start documenting what people ask when calling the dealership. You will want to try to create pages or snippets of content to answer frequently asked questions. You can even start building a frequently asked questions page.

Local Optimization Is Key

Since most of these voice searches are occurring on mobile phones, they are also geographically focused. Your mobile phone has a GPS that knows where you are at all times (unless you’ve switched it off). When I was on vacation in Destin, Florida, and I voice searched for “top restaurants,” my phone knew where I was. It gave me Destin, Florida, search results, not results for my hometown in Birmingham, Alabama. To help with your local optimization, you’ll want to make sure your local listings are all accurate. Make sure you’ve claimed your Google My Business listing and that it’s the only one showing for your dealership. You’ll also want your SEO team to be sure to include more geographic keywords in your metadata and content to help Google identify your location.

Voice search is a new frontier. Studies have shown that the average person is using voice searches six to eight times a day already. It’s time to start optimizing your website to get the best possible voice search results.

About the author

John Paul Strong: As owner of Strong Automotive Merchandising, a company that increases traffic up to 1,000% for dealerships, Strong lives by the simple concept that your attitude affects your success. Without a positive mind set he would not have been able to grow the company over the last decade from just 10 to over 80 full-time employees. The rapid growth is thanks to his ability to keep the company on the forefront of technology, market changes and an infectious talent to motivate and keep employees striving to fulfill their potential. His beginnings in direct mail gave him the tools and skills to develop incredibly successful marketing plans. From there he moved on to traditional forms of media and has now mastered the dynamic world of digital and social media advertising.
With over 165 dealers to please, Strong takes a hands-on approach and personal attention to detail in all aspects of marketing strategies. His expertise in plan development gives him a keen sense on how to maximize a dealer’s budget and ultimately increase their bottom line. Strong is a passionate speaker in the automotive industry. He has authored two books on creating next day traffic. He graduated from the Executive Education Program at the Harvard Business School. Strong received a B.A. in Communication Studies from the University of Montevallo. He lives with his wife and three children in Homewood, Alabama.